


the world is bigger than we knew, but so are we

by unicyclehippo



Series: Blue Girls Have The Most Fun [7]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:00:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21715711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unicyclehippo/pseuds/unicyclehippo
Summary: prompt request: "I miss the way things used to be."or, in which caduceus is tall, has perfect hearing & is really good at reading people, & sometimes he realises things
Relationships: Jester Lavorre/Beauregard Lionett
Series: Blue Girls Have The Most Fun [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1824289
Comments: 2
Kudos: 212





	the world is bigger than we knew, but so are we

'I miss the way things used to be.'

‘How do you mean?’

‘Back before we knew about any of this,’ Jester says, leaning into Cad’s side. ‘Before the war, before M-Molly, before Obann. I just… Everything is so _loud_ now. Like it’s all clamouring for our attention, and I can’t help but feel like someday soon we’re gonna…’

‘Fail?’

For a long moment, Jester is still. Then, she nods. ‘Yeah,’ she sighs. ‘We’re gonna fail.’

Cad stokes the fire with a prod of his staff. A few of his beetles flutter out from the top of it, settle on Jester’s hands, wrists, shoulders. She sees some go around to each of their sleeping friends, like a tiny patrol party. The thought makes her smile, and she makes a note to draw it for the Traveller later.

‘Everything was simpler,’ Cad says. ‘Before I met you all, I just knew that I had to save the Grove. Now, my task is so much bigger.’ He sounds, somehow, as though he both agrees and disagrees with Jester. ‘It’s a privilege, to get to fail at such important things, don’t you think?’

‘It doesn’t feel like a privilege. It feels really scary.’

‘Yeah.’ Caduceus smiles. ‘That too.’

Jester shakes her head, hard enough to frighten away some of the beetles. ‘It won’t help,’ she says more firmly. ‘Moping never helps.' Before Cad can comment on that, andhe does look as though he means to do so, she distracts him. 'Good stuff has happened too!’

‘That’s right.’

‘I met another worshipper of the Traveller!’

‘Okay,’ Cad nods.

‘Fjord is no longer bound to the giant cult snake!’

‘ _U_ _k’atoa_ ,’ Cad whispers in that dramatic way they always do now, and isn’t that entirely _them_ to make fun of what’s probably a demigod, in an effort to make it less totally terrifying?

‘And we found you, of course,’ Jester says, and winds her arms around Cad, smiling when he pats her shoulder gently. ‘Started to save your home,’

‘Oh yeah, that’s a good one. Fixed Fjord's sword,' he adds, and, getting into the spirit of the exercise, says, 'You met your dad,’

Jester smiles a little wider. ‘I did, didn’t I?’

‘Beau’s an expositor now.’

‘Oh hell yeah! She’s a spy, she kicks ass, she can take down forty enemies with a single kick,’ Jester pretends to shadow box the air. Cad hums in that way he does when he isn’t sure what Jester is up to.

‘I… don’t think that’s entirely correct,’

‘I’m pretty sure it is, she’s amazing and brilliant, you know.’

‘I do know that,’ he says slowly, thoughtfully, as though an unbidden thought had occurred to him, surprised him. Cad shifts a little and suddenly Jester finds herself on the receiving end of one of those Caduceus stares, the ones that make you feel like he can read your mind. The dull firelight flickers off dark, dark eyes and his smile curls upwards suddenly. ‘Ah. I see.’

Jester freezes. ‘What?’

‘No, no, nothing.’

‘ _W_ _hat?_ What did you see?’ The man shakes his head, soft ears flopping a little. ‘Cad, what—‘

‘It’s alright, Jester. All things come in time.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘It’s the end of our watch,’ he reminds her, pulls on his staff to climb to his feet. ‘You wake Beau, I’ll get Nott.’

‘…Okay. Weird they volunteered to take watch together,’ Jester comments, standing and brushing bark and moss from the back of her skirts. Cad just hums that infuriating hum like he knows something she doesn’t; too tired to deal with it now, Jester steps over to Beau, takes a moment to admire the other girl, limbs all akimbo, mouth wide open, a quiet snore rising and falling. Jester kneels beside her.

‘Beau,’ she whispers. ‘Be-au,’

‘Mmng, what?’

‘It’s time for your watch, grumpy,’ Jester laughs, and she watches with fascination as Beau comes awake so quickly - drooling, snoring, sleepy Beau snapping quick into awake, alert. She squints through the darkness to find Jester’s face and sighs, drops her head back down onto her rolled cloak.

‘Ugh. Fine. How was yours?’ she asks, the words all slurring together but Jester has had plenty of experience with sleepy Beau and she translates it effortlessly.

‘Good,’ Jester tells her with a shrug.

Beau must catch something in her tone because she pats around for Jester’s hand. She misses by a bit and gets Jester's wrist, wraps long scarred fingers around it gently. Squeezes. ‘Yeah?’

‘Just…tired. And Cad maybe read my mind.’

‘Ugh. _H_ _ate_ it when he does that. He like,’ Beau affects a deep thoughtful squint, scrunches her mouth to one side and then to the other. ‘Ah, I see, yes, your deep dark fears are now clear to me.’

Jester giggles. ‘Basically.’

Beau squeezes her wrist again, fingertips brushing oh so gently across Jester's skin when she releases her, swirling a little over the back of her hand as she pulls back. She clears her throat, shuffles out of her bedroll. Stretches. ‘Well, here, you take my bed,’ Beau offers. ‘If you’re tired, I mean. You don't have to go all the way over there to your bedroll.' 

It's literally, like, ten steps to her bedroll but she does feel tired all of a sudden. She’s glad of the cover of night when her cheeks flush. ‘Okay.’

‘Okay. Sleep well, Jessie.’

‘ _Beau_! Are you coming or not?’ Nott hisses from the dark. ‘Stop flirting, let’s _go_!’

Beau looks like she’s been struck, and Jester sees with great interest that she fumbles with her quarterstaff, mumbles a few words before ducking away to join Nott.

‘Weird.’

Jester lays down in Beau’s bedroll. Smells the faint smell of soap and whatever hair oil or perfume it is she uses. Turns over, catching the faint glint of firelight in dark eyes, before falling quickly to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> hi im unicyclehippo on tumblr as well, feel free to swing on by & say hi or send me a prompt x


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